Teen Vogue cover model is pregnant at 19

Jamie Stengle

DALLAS — A model on the November cover of
Teen Vogue
is a 19-year-old who reveals in the magazine that she is pregnant.

Jourdan Dunn is not visibly pregnant on the cover, and
Teen Vogue
Editor in Chief Amy Astley said the magazine didn't know about Dunn's pregnancy until after the photo shoot. Astley said editors didn't consider pulling the cover Dunn shares with fellow model Chanel Iman.

“Teen pregnancy is a difficult, real-life issue that
Teen Vogue
readers (with an average age of 18) are mature enough to be exposed to,” Astley said in a statement. “
Teen Vogue
felt it was important to support, not punish, Jourdan Dunn, who contributed to a beautiful photo shoot and who will surely have an ongoing and successful career in fashion.”

The cover has raised eyebrows among some parents, teens and advocates against teen pregnancy.

“There's no message to send to them that that's not OK. Maybe if she's on the cover to tell them ‘Be careful,’ that's one thing,” said Catherine Essig, 19, a sophomore at Dallas' Southern Methodist University, who was concerned about 15- and 16-year-old readers.

Many advocates said parents should use the cover as a way to talk to their children about sex and the importance of planning pregnancies for the right time in their lives.

“Teen parenting isn't glamorous, even if you are a teen model,” said Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association.

A message left by The Associated Press at Dunn's New York City agency was not immediately returned. Dunn, a London native, told
Teen Vogue
that her unplanned pregnancy has been hard.

“All I could think about was what my mom was going to say, my agency, my boyfriend,” said Dunn, who is expecting a boy in December.

“When I told my mom, she started crying and blaming herself. She got pregnant with me at the same age, and she said, ‘I don't want you to have to go through what I did.’ ”